About ProSkin
ProSkin is trying to find ways to improve usability - to make any interactive system easier to use. Many interfaces you use today, whether in your mobile phone, mp3 player, word processor or web browser, all use a single interface - one menu system that everyone uses. There is no opportunity to change it, and if you don't like it - tough. I bet we've all heard stories of friends changing from a long owned Nokia phone to another manufacturer, say Samsung, with a different interface - and finding that it was a difficult experience, or just too much effort to re-learn how to use it. If only you could have that phone with an interface that you liked.
Well, user interface skins solve this problem. A user interface skin is exactly that - a virtual 'skin' that covers the application, so to speak. This means that you can change your user interface without having to reprogram anything. You may have seen skins in action in applications such as Windows Media Player, WinAmp, Firefox, ICQ, MS Messenger, AIM, all of which allow you to change the look and feel of the program by selecting a new skin. There are many many more applications all featuring skinning and this is rapidly becoming a standard feature in many software applications.
So now that skins are available, this means that you no longer are forced to use an interface that is designed for everyone to use. With the ability to change the user interace with skins comes the ability for you to have your own personal skin - a personal user interface. Imagine how useful that could be... a menu system that was designed for you, one that was familiar, easy to use, and best of all - portable to other applications. No more having to learn complex new interfaces or weird menu systems that make no sense because you would just apply your personal skin.
This is the goal towards which we're working - to try to find better, more personal ways of interacting. Skins have provided the means to personalise interaction but there is currently little research into how changing user interface skins can be best used to make everyone's life easier. However, designing user interfaces for individuals is not very practical - but designing for types of user is far more realistic and achievable. This means that skins can be produced for you, but also people who interact like you .